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Elder abuse
is the abuse or neglect of the elderly segment of the population. For the most
part, the elderly are usually grouped as people over the age of about 50. Most
of the abuse and neglect is aimed at the elderly who either can't take care of
themselves or require some assistance with their care. As with children, many
of these people are completely defenseless against those who commit the abuse.
They become targets because they can be easily controlled within their own
homes, hospitals, or personal care homes. Because of their lack of mobility
and, perhaps, contact with a larger community, they become a forgotten segment
of the population.
Signs of abuse and neglect include wounds caused by
violence, sudden weight loss, the unwarranted use of restraints, illnesses
caused because they don't receive their medication, bed sores, malnutrition,
and not being bathed. Another type of abuse is financial. In this type of
abuse, the monetary resources provided to the person through retirement funds,
social security, and other sources are used by the caretakers for their own
purposes instead of being used to provide for the needs and wants of the
elderly.
In 2000, there were 472,813 reported cases of elder
abuse nationwide. It's estimated that for every case that is reported, five
more go unreported. As with child abuse, the abusers are found throughout the
population and represented by every race, religion, and economic level. In
general, women are more likely to be victims with approximately 65% of cases
involving female victims.
Most people seem to think elder abuse is most common in
the heath care facilities for the elderly. They think the health care
providers can more easily get away with such behavior. The sad fact is that it
does happen and often goes unreported because the families of the "patients"
don't monitor the care being received by their older family members. The
statistics for 1996 show that only 20.5% of elder abuse is caused by people
outside of the older person's family. That means that while elder abuse is
caused by some health care providers, most is not.
So who is most likely responsible for the abuse and
neglect? Of the reported cases for 1996, 70.5% was caused by family members.
To break it down, the numbers are as follows:
Abuser
Adult child
Spouse
Other family
Grandchild
Sibling |
Percentage
36.7%
12.6%
10.8%
7.7%
2.7% |
If you
suspect an elderly person is being abused or neglected, report it to your
local authorities. There's always the chance you're wrong, but you could also
be correct. The elderly need our help and our protection. Help them when you
can.
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